This is my story, let’s start

By Mostafa Kamal

I am a disabled activist and researcher born in Egypt, who lived through many barriers and deprivations that face disabled people in accessing basic services. At my segregated boarding school for blind students in Egypt, I gained many experiences of independence and how I could think of many creative solutions to overcome both the educational and social challenges that I faced during my educational life. The blind education system at that time had many problems, for example lack of tactile mapping or audio descriptions of the physical word. As a result of this we were not allowed to study geometry, shapes etc.

Despite this, I managed to reach and complete my undergraduate studies at an Egyptian university (English Department), where neither assistive technology nor personal assistant schemes were part of the higher education system. As a result, blind and physically impaired students faced various barriers, and deaf students were not even allowed to join higher education. This is not even to mention our difficulty of being included in university life at a social level. It’s also worth mentioning that I was denied access to join the media and communications department and the Arabic Music Institute due to my impairments, despite being qualified for both of these. This was especially frustrating as I played keyboard in bands in Egypt from the age of 18 (a story that I would love to share in another blog post).

Starting in 2004 I worked in the field of disability for over ten years, joining the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood – both policy making organisations. Through various scholarships I was accepted to travel widely to continue my academic career (MA and PhD in Disability Studies) and to take part in academic conferences, fellowships and disability activism over the globe. My MA was the first time for me to travel outside of Egypt, an interesting and challenging experience as a blind person that I will definitely share in future. In 2011 I lived through the events and consequences of the Egyptian revolution, where we, disabled people, fought for inclusion by participating in marches and demonstrations. Immediately after the revolution, I was engaged in the creation of many national discourses e.g the Egyptian Constitution of 2014 and new Egyptian disability law. In addition to these, being a member of many global alliances of the disability movement assisted me to become more involved with disability challenges at the global level.

This also showed me the large gap between the barriers faced by disabled people in the Global South and Global North. The aim of this blog is for disabled people from both continents to share and debate these differences in barriers.

This may help to structure a more unified global activism, merging different disability movements together and providing solutions towards more inclusivity and equality for disabled people. Although this blog is not purely academic, it will learn from the academic world, which I currently work in, and this may lead to further research and encourage scholars to consider disabling barriers across borders.

My story is indicative of many of the barriers that I have no doubt that other disabled people across the world, may have faced. The upcoming blog entries will contain a focus on each of these barriers, which will be enriched by your opinions and experiences.

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Meeting deaf leaders from Vietnam

By Elizabeth Lockwood Ph. D.

Recently Sian Tesni, Senior Education Advisor at CBM, and I had the fantastic opportunity to meet with deaf leaders in Vietnam. We met with dynamic leaders, Ling from Hanoi and Huong from Ho Chi Minh City. We were able to learn some history of the Deaf community and also the myriad barriers deaf and hard of hearing encounter in Vietnam. The following is a summary of what we learned, which is only a glimpse of this rich culture. We hope to work more with this community in the future.

The first deaf school in the country was established in 1886 in the South of Vietnam. At the end of the war in Vietnam in 1976, the first school for deaf children was established in the north in Haiphong City with the fist school for deaf children in Hanoi established the following year in 1977. These schools used sign language indeed sign language was used in schools for deaf children throughout Vietnam. In 1990 Dutch missionaries arrived in Vietnam and spread the oral method of educating deaf children, which spread throughout the country and consequently removing sign language as a primary source of communication.

In 2000 Professor James Woodward established a sign language program in Vietnam with the support of the Nippon Foundation. He was director of the project “Opening University Education to Deaf People in Viet Nam” at the Dong Nai Provincial Department of Education and Training. This program brought back sign language use in Vietnam and provided opportunities for empowerment for deaf leaders such as Lin. In 2001, Lin left the oral school where he was a student and instead attended Woodward’s sign language program. Since then, Lin has become a formidable leader in the Deaf community. Lin empowers other deaf leaders as well, such as Huong whom he met and to whom he taught sign language. Now she is another empowered deaf leader in Ho Chi Minh City.

Currently there are 100 schools for deaf children in the country and 27 deaf students have graduated with a college or university degree. There are currently three deaf teachers in Hanoi and two in Dan Nang.

Currently there are 100 schools for deaf children in Vietnam and 27 deaf students have graduated with a college or university degree. There are currently three deaf teachers in Hanoi and two in Dan Nang.

There are many barriers for deaf and hard of hearing people to have equal access into Vietnamese society. There is lack of access to information. In the entire country there are only 10 sign language interpreters, and all are unpaid, as the government does not provide these services or fund interpreters. In addition, as of yet, there is no formal sign language interpreting program and Vietnamese Sign Language is not recognized by the government. There are no interpreters or closed captions on television, no interpreters in universities, or for public services, including healthcare services.

Not having interpreters in medical settings leads to lack of access to important healthcare information. This can be a frightening situation to be in. One example given was that a deaf couple went to the doctor for a routine checkup since the woman was pregnant. The healthcare personnel thought she was there to get an abortion instead. Fortunately the couple realized this grave error in time and received the appropriate healthcare attention they wanted. 

In addition, deaf people are not permitted to get driver’s licenses, which creates another barrier and deprives and restricts access to essential services, employment and social opportunities. The World Federation of the Deaf (2016) indicates that deafness does not in any way limit a person’s ability to drive a car or other vehicles. Globally, there are no known reports that deaf drivers are a threat to other road users or that they are involved in more traffic accidents or injuries than the general population. On the contrary, according to studies, deaf drivers are involved in fewer car accidents than the average driver.

Keeping in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, all persons with disabilities are guaranteed their full enjoyment of human rights without discrimination with the commitment to leave no one behind. This includes those furthest behind, such as deaf people in Vietnam.

References

World Federation of the Deaf. (2016). WFD Statement on Deaf People’s Right to Drive a Car or Other Vehicles. Accessed from: https://wfdeaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WFD-statement-on-right-to-drive-a-car-or-other-vehicles-FINAL-31-Aug-2016.pdf

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Connect with Elizabeth Lockwood. 

#PurpleLightUp

A Global Celebration – Let’s Light USA Purple in Celebration of “International Day of Persons with Disabilities”
(IDPD) 2018 on Dec 3, 2018

By Debra Ruh

The American author Alice Walker instructed us well in her classic novel, “The Color Purple”. Forgive the language, but it gives persuasive punch and power to her words:

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.”

That’s how it is with purple, a hue that communicates royalty, majesty, and power.

And that is what brings us to the #PurpleLightUp movement, a global call to action that demands that the voices of all people around the world be heard, specifically people with disabilities and their inclusion in the workforce.

Consider these numbers:

• First, more than 160 countries have signed the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. True inclusion means a world that accepts all human differences.
• Over one billion people in the world have a disability. Some are noticeable. Wheelchairs. Crutches. Red-tipped canes. Others, not so much. One in seven people has a disability.
• And of that billion, many are ready, able and hungry to work, to earn a living for their families and to make a difference in their communities.
• The unemployment numbers among persons with disabilities who want to contribute are Data on unemployment around the world is difficult to come by, but according to the United Nations, 80 to 90 percent of persons of working age in developing countries are unemployed. In the developed world, that number is between 50 and 70 percent. Plus, many persons with disabilities that are employed are underemployed.
• In the developed world, the official unemployment rate among people of working age who want to work and are trying to land a job is at least twice that of those who are not disabled. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, data released in June showed that while the unemployment rate among the non-disabled in the country was 4.2 percent, the rate among persons with disabilities seeking employment was 9.2 percent. As job growth continued through the rest of the summer, the unemployment rate for persons with disabilities remained at double that of the non-disabled workforce.

You get the point.

Those numbers, though troubling, help tell the story of why the #PurpleLightUp movement matters so much. It’s a network of disability confident employees, networks, allies and champions driving business change on disability from the inside out. The goal? To increase global acceptance of the disabled in the workforce, which has been a historically-untapped resource for the economy.

In short, it’s a revolution, and it is an exciting time to have the United States join in these Global Celebrations.

Julian John, Managing Director of Delsion, a people and development consultancy that focuses on supporting organizations around Learning & Development and Inclusion. Delsion has a social goal of: “Making Wales a leading nation for inclusion in the workplace, specifically around disability.”

Mr. John is one of the Ambassadors of #PurpleLightUp and has worked for a quarter-century in senior-level human resources. In an HR role, his credo has always been “People Are People; Talent is Talent and Potential is Potential.”

He’s always worked to bring the disabled into the workforce at every level. But since becoming disabled himself, that commitment has intensified, underpinning his support and involvement in helping to raise awareness of the #PurpleLightUp movement.

“I’ve realized the added power behind this message and the opportunities that lie within recognizing and celebrating the contribution that people with disabilities make not only to the economy but in the workplace,” he said. “The #PurpleLightUp encapsulates the engagement, drive, and resourcefulness that typifies the inclusion of people with disabilities within any organization.”

Kate Nash, OBE, agrees. #PurpleLightUp has captured the imagination of disabled employees and their firms across the globe, she said. Nash is the founder of PurpleSpace.org, the world’s only networking and professional development hub for disabled employees, network and resource group leaders, allies and champions across all sectors and trades.

Nash is also the creator of #PurpleLightUp and is focused on creating international unity among the disabled, celebrating the talents and economic contributions made by the disabled community around the globe.

“#PurpleLightUp has captured the imagination of employees with disabilities and the organizations they work for, the world over,” she said.

But beyond imagination, #PurpleLightUp gives identity to a dream that Sarah Simcoe, the Design & Engagement Lead of the movement shares with millions. Simcoe is a Senior Associate Consultant at PurpleSpace and formerly a leader of the transformation, responsible business, and networkology at Fujitsu.

“Mine is of a world where everyone is fully included and celebrated, a world that embraces human potential,” Simcoe said. #PurpleLightUp powered by PurpleSpace is leading the way in helping that dream come true. This transformative movement brings together disabled employee networks, champions, allies, movers, shakers and visionaries in unifying the voices of the disabled community – the aim being to create a global community of change agents that celebrate purple talent and the contribution we make day in day out around the world, a community that like a pebble in the pond, creates a ripple effect of positive change.”

On December 3, #PurpleLightUp will be celebrated around the world, an opportunity to point to the many contributions disabled people across the world make in a variety of fields. The world knows well the mark that Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Hawking, Franklin Roosevelt, and Itzhak Perlman have made. But there are many, many more stories to tell, of disabled people who are quietly, yet powerfully impacting business, government and the arts and sciences.

But more than that, #PurpleLightUp should illuminate towering skyscrapers and simple storefronts from Wall Street to Main Street and houses from your front porch to the White House, it should be a time of self-examination and the development of a strategy to stop employment and economic discrimination against the disabled around the world.

Symbols pack power. But without action, they mean nothing, sound, and color signifying nothing. And as a global leader, it’s time for the United States to join with the rest of the world to seriously bring the disabled into the drive for inclusion. #PurpleLightUp can be a force for growth and for good.

Taking Alice Walker’s words, a step further, let’s do more than use and notice the color purple. It’s time to act, to light it up and make a difference in the world.

The late Robert Kennedy spoke of “taming the savageness of man,” and “making gentle the life of the world.”

He also said something that fits for us in the disability rights community and across the world, especially these days when society is ripe for action.

“The glory of justice and the majesty of law are created not just by the Constitution, nor by the courts, nor by the officers of the law, nor by the lawyers, but by the men and women who constitute our society, who are the protectors of the law as they are themselves protected by the law.”

As an international disability advocate and a business owner, that’s my mission. Make it yours. Through being agents of change, we can create the glory of justice and the majesty of the law. Such is fitting for the color purple.

We have many great organizations already committed to going purple, including Fujitsu Global, EY, Santander, Tesco, Isobel Creative, KPMG UK, PwC UK, Allegis Global Solutions (and many more!). A number of universities have also stepped up along with iconic buildings from around the world lighting up and shining purple from Leeds in the UK to Toronto in Canada – it truly is a global campaign; it’s really easy to be part of going Purple!

If you want to become engaged in the spirit of the day and organize your own local #purpleightUp event, here is a link to some creative ideas that can fit all budgets and organization sizes: https://www.purplespace.org/purple-light-up/go-purple

On December 3, let’s light it up. Join us on social media at #PurpleLightUp. Or visit Their website:  https://www.purplespace.org/purple-light-up. 

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Be Like Justin

By Debra Ruh

Nike’s New Message? Be Like Justin!

Remember Nike’s drive to become an international brand in the 1980s that featured Michael Jordan and director Spike Lee (as the unforgettable Mars Blackmon)? The message was simple; Be Like Mike.

On Saturday –fittingly World Cerebral Palsy Day — the wildly popular athletic apparel giant offered a new message, a giant milestone in the global brand’s movement for inclusion; Be Like Justin.

But who is Justin? “Justin” is Justin Gallegos, a student at the University of Oregon and a member of the school’s running club. Nike signed Gallegos, who has cerebral palsy, to a three-year professional contract. This three-year deal means that Justin Gallegos joins Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods and other great athletes, as Nike brand ambassadors.

If you’ve seen the video on YouTube when Justin was met at the end of a routine run and informed of the deal by a Nike official in front of his teammates, you can see what a powerful game changer this is in major brand’s movement for inclusion.

Justin wept.

We in this community who saw the viral video all over social media cried with him and cheered.

Justin wept.
We in this community who saw the viral video all over social media cried with him and cheered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5du-U-i_do

Adweek offered another aspect to the Gallegos story that may be even more important than Nike recognizing a great athlete who happens to have cerebral palsy. (Note to the media: Justin Gallegos is not a “disabled athlete,” but an athlete who happens to have a disability. Put the people first, not their disability, there is a difference).

Sports Illustrated reported that Justin Gallegos has already jumped in and is at work with Nike in developing a new running shoe named the Pegasus 35 FlyEase. This is footwear specifically designed for runners with disabilities. You see, runners with cerebral palsy have a unique gait. This new shoe is designed with that in mind, along with a zipper on the back to make it easier to get the shoes on and off.

Nike’s new message proves that Phil Knight’s company understands that persons with physical disabilities are an untapped consumer market for multinational brands and that these individuals are full members of society who earn a paycheck, pay taxes, raise families and contribute to life in the world around us, through all their activities both personally and professionally.

They are also athletes and fierce competitors who sweat, win and lose but always strive. They give it their all and expect no mercy. While their actions can be inspiring, their purpose is not to inspire. Their primary goal is competition, teamwork, and success – the goals of all of us as individuals and businesses.

Of course, it is true Justin Gallegos is not the first athlete with a physical challenge to make a mark. In 1970, the New Orleans Saints’ Tom Dempsey kicked what was then the NFL record for the longest field goal, despite his deformed foot and hand.

Blind snapper Jake Olson made his mark on special teams for the University of Southern California Trojans, one of college football’s signature programs.

And Shaquem Griffin, despite having only one arm, earned a spot on the Seattle Seahawks roster, after wowing scouts at the NFL Combine.

There are countless more anonymous individual athletes with disabilities who have competed over the years, out of the spotlight, just for the joy of their effort.

There is no pity wanted here, only the opportunity for the persons with disabilities community to be welcomed in the locker room, the classroom, or the boardroom.

Justin Gallegos and Nike are loud and clear when it comes to their message.

The large multinational brands may be thinking more about bringing persons with disability into their marketing. Brand inclusion is now becoming more recognized as a very import corporate marketing strategy.  We have come a long way, think about the Nike ads from decades ago, the ones that said, “It’s gotta be the shoes.” It’s not the shoes. It’s the mind and heart that matter. Bottom line? All people matter.

And the new message is; Be Like Justin.

Cheers for Nike.

Cheers for Justin.

Cheers for us.

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